Sometimes it seems an event has happened to purposely cause
your expense when you really needed good luck. For example, Swirlyhorn quickly
arrived at the cabin where the Go! Go! Go! games were held, thinking that she
would be able to play a few more rounds of the game. Her assumptions proved incorrect,
or someone out there just hated her, for a large downpour erupted when she arrived
at the game's cabin. To top it all off, she had no more Neopoints to spend, and
the door to the cabin appeared to be locked. No one was inside.

"This is so unfair!" Swirlyhorn cried, and began
to stomp up and down within the puddles that collected on the wooden porch,
drenching her sky blue fur immediately. Her eyes collected with tears of frustration
towards her addiction and the mess it had gotten herself - and her brother -
into. The only way to arrive home would be to walk, so that's what she began
to do. In order to keep herself occupied, she thought out where she had gone
wrong. "Maybe I shouldn't have made those three come online… yeah, maybe it
was my fault for making the bet in the first place. I'm going to be in SO much
trouble.."

She cried while walking back towards the Neolodge.
The rain began to fall much more heavily now, the wind whipping at her cheeks,
chilling to the bone. A few Neopets passed here and there with an umbrella held
over their head, quickly heading to shelter. Swirlyhorn took her time and arrived
at the Neolodge fifteen minutes later.

She opened the front door, sneezing and coughing.
Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. At first, she only saw Tekeli-Li,
Sargug, and Plesio sitting on the famous family couch, looking quite comfortable
in their home. Closing the door behind her, Swirlyhorn grinned a little bit,
thinking that the three had come to her home to play with her as opposed to
the cabin.

"You guys game here to play with me?" She inquired,
shivering while water dripped all over the floor. A sneeze shook her quivering
body afterwards. Sargug and Plesio exchanged confused glances. Saigru butted
into the room, carrying a tray filled with chocolate.

"Saigru?" Swirlyhorn shrieked. "Y-you.. you
invited them here?" Saigru gasped and then placed the tray onto the table, as
the three Tyrannians began to hungrily chomp down on the food. He shrugged,
and then coughed, "Ugg, ug, ugg ugg!"

Tekeli-Li, the only Tyrannian present at the
moment that could deftly speak English, nodded his head slowly while blowing
air on his wriggling fingers. "He has. He gained it from me, as a matter of
fact. Didn't you know that ol' Tekeli-Li was magic?"

"Of course I knew that." Swirlyhorn bit her
lip. "Why'd you make him sick, though? What's going on here?"

Sargug burped, and Plesio chuckled. Tekeli-Li
rolled his eyes impatiently but had no choice but to respond. "Er… let's just
say he got a little out of hand. He won too many times."

The front door opened and Apparent stepped inside,
the room, quiet. She glanced around and then sighed exasperatedly at the scene
in the room. Chocolate was spread everywhere, the three Tyrannian game-players
sprawled upon her couch, a sneezing Uni and an Ugga-speaking Kougra to top it
off. No explanation was needed, "You three - you can go home now." She pointed
to the door. With hesitation, Sargug and Plesio slowly advanced towards the
doorway. Tekeli-Li followed after stealing a piece of chocolate, and the three
ran out of the door.

Silence. The navy Kougra shifted on his hinds
and then responded a few minutes later, "Well, I won about 20 games. It was
cheating, though, because I wasn't able to play against the remaining opponents."

"Hah! I win!"

"But you played with 5-played rounds, too, so
neither of us win."

Swirlyhorn nodded slowly with agreement. "You
know, that was real sly, bringing those three into the house like that."

"I know," Saigru smiled. "I'd better get back
to acting sick, now."

The two went their separate ways into their
rooms.

***

Later in the evening, Krawker_oth and Jyrosen arrived home from Neoschool,
quite happy that their two siblings were sick. Each of them gained an afternoon
of quiet time that was gladly acceptable. Their owner logged out early that
afternoon, leaving the four of them home alone. Krawker and Jyrosen finished
up their homework in the living room.

"Jyrosen, what's 4x3+9?" Krawker asked, feeling
quite lazy with his studies that day and had only one problem left until he
was finished with his schoolwork.

"It's 21, Krawker. Don't ask me for any more
answers." The Lupe responded while looking through his large Neopia Studies
textbook. Krawker scribbled down his answer and then tossed his Mathematics
workbook onto the floor. "Thanks!"

"Mmmhmm."

The spotted Krawk yawned, and then headed over
to the trophy shelf. He propped himself upwards on the tips of his hind claws
to get a good view of the shelf's contents. "Boy, wasn't Swirlyhorn so dumb
as to challenge Saigru at GoGoGo?" His eyes sparkled while looking at the gold
tinted Cheat! Trophy.

"If you say so, Krawker."

Krawker_oth nodded and then pranced towards
his older brother, getting an idea similar to the one his sister did earlier
that week. Jyrosen looked up, his facial expression curious as his younger brother
declared, "She should've known Cheat is MUCH easier."